T
"amPr-
pinion
A MIX OF
Spin Doctors Of Shushan
Pessie Busel Novick
Community View
why would God have allowed her to end
up with that sleaze? You know, I hear
that all of those "girls" had to spend a
ur story takes place in
full year marinating in spices before
Shushan, capital of the Persian
they could even get in to see the king!
Empire, some 60-odd years
• I bet it's middah k'negged middah
after the destruction of the First Temple. [measure for measure retribution].
Hadassah, the niece — and some in the
What else could it be? I bet she wasn't
know say wife — of Mordecai has been
really careful with the laws of Family
taken by force into the king's palace,
Purity. That must be it.
where she was chosen, above all others,
• Maybe she had a secret life.
to become the bride and favored wife of
• It would explain the two names, that
Ahashverosh.
hussy!
Let us listen to some of the talk on
• And what about Mordecai, that poor
the street in the Jewish Quarter.
man...
• Did you hear about that Hadassah,
• Poor nothing. No sooner did she
of course she obviously prefers to be
become queen than she arranged for
called Esther — less Jewish and all that
him to get this wonderful position in
— who has been made Queen of the
the cabinet, Court Jew. Plenty of fringe
Empire? Who'd have thought?
benefits, I'll bet.
• Who indeed? Remember that righ-
• What do you want to bet he orches-
teous act she used to put on? Always
trated this whole thing. Coincidence? I
praying? Always so careful about her
think not.
modesty? Yeah, right! And to think we
• Right, and you know of course, she's
were taken in by her...
not admitting that she's Jewish. That's
• How do you know it was an act?
his idea, too.
• Don't be so naive! And anyway -, I
• Hmmph! I know the type, but who
thought you were devout! Don't you
would have thought it of descendants of
believe that everything God does has a
King Saul?
purpose?
• Who indeed?
• Yes, but...
The lessons of Purim are manifold.
• But nothing. Obviously, our little
Much is made, and rightfully so, of
Hadassah wasn't the pure, sweet inno-
the significance of the omission of
cent she pretended to be. Otherwise,
God's name from the Megillah. This,
0
Anti-Semitism from page 23
through non-campus radical groups
that co-sponsor events and lectures that
vilify Israel. Student organizations such
as Students for Justice in Palestine and
the Muslim Student Unions, which are
now on 600 campuses in North America,
are increasingly aggressive. They invite
anti-Israel speakers and mount annual
"Anti-Israeli Apartheid" week calling
for boycotts of Israel and a "Palestine
Awareness Week" that coincides with
Israel's Independence Day. Their displays
of bloody Israeli flags and bloodied
Palestinians fill the center of campus;
and they forcefully try to prevent Israel's
supporters from speaking or being heard.
More disturbing, many professors
endorse the "3 D's" using the fashionable
academic language of "post-colonial-
24
ism." Israel's "new historians," who write
history from the point of view of Israel's
enemies, supply the evidence. The anti-
Israel bias of the United Nations and
many human rights groups adds cred-
ibility to their claims.
Israel's supporters can, and should,
reverse this trend.
Since 2001, when StandWithUs
formed, we have developed effective
resources and strategies that all com-
munities can use to counter the 3 D's,
empower students and restore reason-
able debate about Israel.
We must remember that support for
Israel is support for social justice and
humanitarian values. Israel, with its lib-
eral democracy, booming economy and
ever-creative multicultural society, is
one of the greatest achievements of the
Jewish people and of the post-World War
February 25 - 2010
i'*51:142'4: :4 _41:41441:4::4•1fr iN:ANAVkiNIIIAlt01..4e ll eAiat•
..**C'..".
after all, is a story that depicts Divine
others. How often do we hear blanket
Providence, God's hand guiding the
accusations of liability leveled against
course of our fate in ways that may not
victims of tragedy, rendered as though
become discernible for many, many
the accuser were gifted with a personal
years.
connection to the Divine?
The gifts of Providence are not alway
After all, nothing less than Divine
perceived, even within span of a single
Revelation would entitle anyone to judge
life. And yet, as the Megillah points ou t, seemingly random catastrophic events
God sees every event and weaves the
purely from the perspective of his/her
threads of each individual life into a
own intellect, given the limitations and
rich and colorful tapestry.
fallibility that characterize all of human
This is all good and well with his-
thought.
torical events, where we have the gift
Does this mean that there are no
of hindsight, revealing God's hand in
reasons for the tragedies that strike
seemingly insignificant circumstances.
us as senseless? Faith dictates that we
But what of the people of Shushan, in
believe otherwise; surely God sees and
the days of Esther, who had no idea
enables every event for reasons of His
where events were taking them? What
own. At the same time, however, faith
judgments were they entitled to make?
neither demands nor even recommends
None — as the fiction above would
that in times of disaster we attempt to
indicate — at least, none that would
"justify the ways of God" by criticizing
indict any of the leading players in our
its victims. Save that sort of analysis/
drama.
castigation for when you are criticizing
How foolish our fictional gossips
yourself, thank you very much.
would have looked at the end of the
Let us take a lesson from the story of
Purim story when the heroism of Esther Purim and reserve judgment on events
and Mordecai was revealed. Esther, after and individuals that we do not under-
all, was taken — against all odds — to
stand, until these events play themselves
the palace of Ahashverosh not in retri-
out to their natural ending. We never
bution for sins past, but in preparation
know what surprises may lie ahead. 'I
for heroic acts to come.
And yet, in our own time, one often
Pessie Busel Novick of Oak Park is a Judaic
finds individuals all too willing to judge, Studies teacher at Akiva Hebrew Day School
generally to condemn, the actions of
in Southfield.
II era. It is not perfect. Its policies can be
criticized and debated, but it struggles
to live up to the highest ethics even in
extremely difficult conditions.
We must educate ourselves and oth-
ers to challenge the 3 D's when they are
expressed in the news media, our com-
munities and among our peers.
We must support pro-Israel students
who have been mobilizing to counter this
anti-Israel campaign, as StandWithUs
has been doing on campuses around
the world. Community members must
encourage these students and help them
sponsor events and speakers that present
a mainstream perspective on Israel.
Communities have a special responsi-
bility in the campus wars. Students are
transient, but the community stays. You
can influence your local universities by
notifying administrators when events
or speakers become too extreme and
by demanding balance in Israel-related
subjects and events. The anti-Israel nar-
rative has also entered middle and high
school texts. Parents and the community
should actively intervene, requesting
more even-handed texts.
The propaganda assault against Israel
undermines Jews and the Jewish state
and the human rights values it pretends
to defend. This assault can and must
be turned. It is up to all of us to do our
part. LI
Roberta P. Seid, Ph.D., spoke at several
Michigan congregations and schools Feb. 3-
7 as a guest of StandWithUs/Michigan. The
Israel education and advocacy organization
is based in Los Angeles. StandWithUs
educational materials, flyers and booklets are
accessible at www.standwithus.com .